Monday, January 16, 2012

Doctor's Orders

Star Trek #50: Doctor's Orders by Diane Duane
Published June 1990
Read January 16th, 2012

Previous book (The Original Series): #49: The Pandora Principle
Next book (The Original Series, publication order): Prime Directive
Next book (The Original Series, numbered novels): #51: Enemy Unseen

Spoilers ahead for Doctor's Orders!


From the back cover:
When Dr. McCoy grumbles once too often about the way the Enterprise ought to be run, Captain Kirk decides to leave the doctor in command while he oversees a routine diplomatic mission.  Kirk beams down to a strange planet nicknamed "Flyspeck" to negotiate its admission into the Federation, leaving Dr. McCoy to enjoy his new authority.
However, the doctor soon learns that command is a double-edged sword when Kirk disappears without a trace.  Desperately trying to locate his captain, McCoy comes under pressure from Starfleet to resolve the situation immediately.  Matters go from bad to worse when the Klingons arrive and stake their own claim on Flyspeck.
Then another, more deadly power threatens them all, and suddenly, Dr. McCoy and the Enterprise find themselves pitted against an alien fleet in a battle they have no hope of winning.

About the Novel:

The Enterprise is conducting a planetary survey and first contact with the inhabitants of a planet that the crew has nicknamed 'Flyspeck' in order to facilitate the planet's entrance into the Federation.  The survey has left Dr. McCoy overworked and exhausted, and in an attempt to get him out of sickbay and the lab for a few minutes, Captain Kirk leaves him in command while beaming down to the planet to meet with the natives.  However, Captain Kirk shortly disappears from the planet's surface, leaving the good doctor stuck in command.  Due to Starfleet regulations, Dr. McCoy cannot be relieved of command until Captain Kirk returns.

Bones worries that he is in over his head when a Klingon vessel arrives.  Soon, the Klingons' landing party vanishes as well, and a diplomatic incident seems unavoidable.  Added to the mix is the arrival of an Orion dreadnought, dispatched to raid and pillage the planet.  Through Dr. McCoy's unorthodox command style and the assistance of the seasoned bridge crew, the Enterprise must navigate these difficulties until the safe return of Captain Kirk.


My Thoughts:

Doctor's Orders is an interesting "fish-out-of-water" story.  While clearly Dr. McCoy is qualified to take the bridge of the Enterprise (he is, after all, a commander in Starfleet), he is not technically in the Enterprise's chain of command.  The reason that McCoy remains in command during the crisis is obviously very contrived and unrealistic (he can't even turn over command to Spock or Scotty because the officer who placed him in command must relieve him).  This of course makes no sense, and is merely a way to keep the story interesting and moving forward.  As such, it is tolerable because it results in an interesting dynamic with McCoy at the conn of the ship.

McCoy's command style differs quite a bit from Kirk's or Spock's, and all of his actions and decisions ring true with his character.  It was very interesting seeing McCoy out of his element, and while the circumstances aren't very realistic, as a character-examination piece, Doctor's Orders works.

The "planet of the week" plot involves the planet "Flyspeck," home to three distinct intelligent species: the Ornae, the Lahit, and the ;At (no, I have no idea how to pronounce it).  The ;At aren't all they seem, and in fact seem to be the "guardians" of the other two species.  They are, in fact, responsible for the "disappearance" of Captain Kirk, but not is all what it seems to be.  The story of the ;At parallels that of McCoy somewhat, in that the ;At have a defined role on Flyspeck, and have no desire to be in a position outside of their element.  I believe that the central theme of Doctor's Orders can be found in the following quote from chapter eleven, in which Dr. McCoy asks the ;At "master" whether or not he would ever leave Flyspeck to explore space:

"Who doesn't think occasionally," it said, "of leaving his post, and doing something else, some other job, better?  But sooner or later, if duty matters, it keeps you where your given word put you.  No, Doctor, this is my charge.  Here I stay."
Everyone thinks that the grass is greener on the other side sometimes, but often it's where we are and where our expertise lies that is where we are most comfortable.

Final Thoughts:

While the story is not nearly as broad in scope as her critically-acclaimed Rihannsu series, Doctor's Orders is certainly a very well-written and interesting story by Diane Duane.  The inhabitants of Flyspeck are interesting, and their world and way of life go far beyond what we are used to in the "planet-of-the-week" world of televised Star Trek.  The characterizations, especially of Kirk, Spock, and McCoy are spot-on, and Duane is truly able to capture the voices of the characters.  Secondary characters such as Uhura and Sulu are similarly well-represented.  I recommend Doctor's Orders, especially to fans of McCoy, of which I am one.

Final score: 8/10.
My next read:

At the moment, I am reading I,Q by John de Lancie and Peter David.  Until next time, have a good one!

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Saturday, January 14, 2012

Synthesis

Star Trek: Titan - Synthesis by James Swallow
Published October 2009
Read January 13th, 2012

Previous book (Post-Nemesis continuity): TNG: Losing the Peace
Previous book (Titan): Over a Torrent Sea
Next book (Titan): Fallen Gods

Spoilers ahead for Synthesis and other books in the Star Trek: Titan series, as well as spoilers for the post-Nemesis and post-Destiny period of Trek Lit!


From the back cover:


The Starship Titan continues her outward voyage of discovery.  Ranging farther and farther from Federation space, Captain William Riker and the crew look forward to living Starfleet's mission: seeking out new life, discovering new civilizations.
Striking a "sandbank" -- a spatial distortion -- the Titan is knocked out of warp, her crew shaken up but uninjured.  Titan has stumbled across a battlefield, and floating in it, shattered and in pieces, are the remains of a ship.  Searching for survivors, they discover the ship never had a crew.  The away team removes the computer core, looking for answers.  Once the device is restored, it becomes clear this is not just a computer, but a thinking, reasoning artificial intelligence.
It identifies itself as SecondGen White-Blue, it comes from a civilization composed entirely of sentient computers.  Eons ago these artificial intelligences were charged to be the first line of defense against The Null -- a destructive force so all-consuming that generation upon generation have waged unending war trying to find a way to beat back this terror.  Captain Riker offers to assist them, but years of war have left the AIs distrustful and suspicious, especially of organics.
The tide of the battle is turning, The Null is winning.  Set free, it will destroy everything in this system and then, unchecked, spread its mindless destruction into the heart of the Federation.

About the Novel:

An investigation of a destroyed alien spacecraft leads the crew of the Titan to discover an alien civilization based completely on artificial technology.  Calling themselves the "Sentries," these alien robots are tasked with defending their system from an invading force from another dimension called "The Null."  While one of these robotic life-forms, named SecondGen White-Blue, insists on helping the crew of the Titan and opening diplomatic relations with the Federation, most of the others are divided on the issue, and see the starfleet crew as a dangerous threat and a distraction from their true task.

Meanwhile, when the Titan's computer comes into contact with the consciousness of SecondGen White-Blue, it begins to develop a consciousness of its own.  Using an avatar appearing as a memory out of Captain Riker's past, the main computer begins to assert itself, becoming nothing less than a living, sentient being.


My Thoughts:

The Star Trek: Titan series follows the exploits of Captain William T. Riker and his extremely diverse crew aboard the U.S.S. Titan.  Riker took command of the Titan at the end of the feature film Star Trek Nemesis, if you recall.  With a lot of the darkness and destruction featured in the current line of Star Trek novels, Titan is a refreshing taste of what Star Trek should be about: seeking new life and new civilizations and exploring the galaxy.  Titan is on an extended mission of exploration out beyond the borders of the Federation, following Starfleet's edict "to boldly go where no one has gone before."

Synthesis is an interesting story that examines the question "what is life?"  This issue has, of course, been explored in other Trek incarnations, most notably in the Next Generation episode "The Measure of a Man" and Voyager's "Author, Author."  Added to the mix is the recent Borg-apocalypse in the Alpha Quadrant, which has left the Starfleet crew jumpy about mechanized life-forms, or anything that reminds them about the cybernetic horde.  This contributes to a certain amount of distrust of Sentries, complicating matters when some of their actions seem to be provocative or malicious.  The Sentries themselves are an interesting race in and of themselves.  While one would expect a race of robotic life to be completely logical and single-minded, the Sentries are instead individualistic and emotional.

The story itself is interesting, if a little paint-by-numbers.  Complicating the plot is the emergence of an intelligent computer program within Titan's main computer, raising a lot of questions about what Starfleet computers are capable of, and the ethical implications of limiting their abilities.  The questions raised by this development are fascinating, but of course, in true Star Trek tradition, this is a problem that we will not have to deal with outside the confines of this one adventure!
Final Thoughts:

An interesting story, but a little plodding in some places.  Interesting ethical questions are raised, and while they should be universe-shattering in implication, the effects are confined to this one story and don't seem likely to be explored in a wider forum.  Interesting world-building and a new, unique life-form are the saving graces of the story.

Final score: 6/10.
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Saturday, January 7, 2012

The Never-Ending Sacrifice

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: The Never-Ending Sacrifice by Una McCormack
Published September 2009
Read January 7th, 2012

Previous book (Deep Space Nine): The Soul Key
Next book (Deep Space Nine): Lust's Latinum Lost (and Found)

Spoilers ahead for The Never-Ending Sacrifice and the end of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine!


From the back cover:
A boy looks up.  He sees a Cardassian's hand on his shoulder and knows that this is usually a prelude to a beating or, if he is fortunate enough, arrest.  The boy knows how many disappeared during the Occupation of Bajor.  So he does the one thing he can think of: he bites the Cardassian.  Then the nightmare begins.
He is ripped from the family that took him in as an orphan, clothed him, fed him, always loved him unconditionally.  And no matter how earnest, how caring the commander of Deep Space 9 is, the boy knows this is all a horrible mistake.  How can someone from Starfleet judge him by what he looks like, not by what he is?  He prays to the Prophets; he is Bajoran.  They all keep telling him that the test proves the large Cardassian man is his father, that the other Cardassian -- that oily gul -- took him away from his father.  But the boy keeps telling them that he is Bajoran, he only wants to go home with his father.  So they send Rugal home -- to Cardassia.
On the homeworld of the Cardassian Union where sacrifice and devotion to the state are surpassed only by the government's need to keep its people in check, one very lonely boy discovers that if he doesn't resist, his life -- like those of so many others -- will be added to the tally of the never-ending sacrifice.

About the Novel:

The Never-Ending Sacrifice is a sequel to the second-season Deep Space Nine episode "Cardassians."  It tells the story of Rugal Pa'Dar, a young Cardassian boy sent to live with his biological father on Cardassia after being taken away from his adoptive Bajoran parents.  After living through the end of the occupation, Rugal has come to despise Cardassians and their treatment of the Bajorans.  Now, he must attempt to make a life for himself on Cardassia among the people he has learned to hate.

As the reality of his situation becomes apparent, Rugal must learn to live with the fact that he may not be able to return to Bajor in the near future.  From his perspective, we relive the trials and tribulations experienced by the people of Cardassia throughout the run of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and beyond.  From the destruction of the Obsidian Order ("The Die is Cast"), to the Klingon invasion of Cardassia ("The Way of the Warrior"), from the joining of the Dominion ("By Inferno's Light") to the attempted extermination of the Cardassian people ("What You Leave Behind"), all is seen and experienced by this unique Cardassian.  And through it all, Rugal learns what it is to sacrifice everything to the state.  He discovers that being a true Cardassian requires nothing less.  The question is: is Rugal a true Cardassian?


My Thoughts:

The Never-Ending Sacrifice deals with a number of topics and themes.  An obvious subject often raised in this novel is sacrifice.  Kotan Pa'dar, Rugal's father, makes an enormous sacrifice in bringing his son home to Cardassia.  He risks losing his political career and status in society as a result of the scandal of failing to properly take care of his family.  Other characters similarly sacrifice their own well-being and futures on the altar of family or duty to the state.  Finally, Cardassia herself makes the ultimate sacrifice when the Dominion turns on their supposed "allies."

The Never-Ending Sacrifice is very well-written and compelling.  Una McCormack has done an amazing job in bringing Cardassia to life.  We see all aspects of the society, from the powerful elites to the down-trodden homeless.  In many ways, the portrayal of Cardassian society mirrors what I've learned in my studies of North Korea.  Before the fall of the Obsidian Order, all Cardassians are terrified that the slightest criticism or comment about the government will be treated as seditious.  The eyes of the Obsidian Order are everywhere, and dissent of any kind is not tolerated.  After making some comments about the reality of the occupation of Bajor in his class, for example, Rugal and his father are paid a visit by a representative from the "Ministry of Public Order," in reality, an arm of the Obsidian Order.  Rugal soon learns what he can and cannot say in public.


The Never-Ending Sacrifice tells the story of Cardassia from a unique perspective:
Rugal Pa'dar, an outsider who grew up on Bajor and must now live on Cardassia.


I particularly enjoyed the scope of The Never-Ending Sacrifice, providing a re-telling of the story of Cardassia throughout DS9, but from the perspective of one man.  It offers a unique view of events that Deep Space Nine fans are familiar with, allowing us to see it from a different angle.  Cardassia experiences a great deal of change in the few years of Deep Space Nine, and Rugal is perfect person to share his unique perspective.  Kudos to Una McCormack for providing this unorthodox view of some very turbulent years of Trek history.


Final Thoughts:

Excellently written, and very compelling.  The Never-Ending Sacrifice had me hooked, and I blew through the novel much more quickly than I expected to.  The atypical style works well for this novel, and I felt I was reading a true cultural epic rather than a Star Trek novel.  Highly recommended!


Also by Una McCormack:

 My next read:

I'm reading Synthesis, a Star Trek: Titan novel by James Swallow.  It is the only Titan novel I have not yet read, and with a new one coming out later this year, I'm trying to make sure I'm all caught up!



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Wednesday, January 4, 2012

The Return

Star Trek: The Return by William Shatner with Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens
Published April 1996
Read January 2nd, 2012 

Previous book ("Shatnerverse"): The Ashes of Eden
Next book ("Shatnerverse"): Avenger
Spoilers ahead for William Shatner's The Return!


From the back cover:
Veridian III: A world has been saved, the USS Enterprise 1701-D lies in ruins, and one of the galaxy's greatest heroes rests beneath a simple cairn of rocks on a lonely hillside.  But as a legendary Vulcan ambassador comes at last to the grave of his best and dearest friend, the adventure is only beginning.
The Borg and the Romulan Star Empire have joined forces against the Federation, and their ultimate weapon is none other than James T. Kirk, resurrected by alien science to destroy the Borg's most formidable enemy: Jean-Luc Picard.
The astounding return of Kirk -- as only William Shatner can tell it!

About the Novel:

On Veridian III, starfleet crews are dismantling and removing the wreckage of the USS Enterprise to avoid others finding it.  Meanwhile, Ambassador Spock visits the grave of his former Captain, James T. Kirk, before the remains are brought back to Earth.  However, the reclamation crews come under attack, and in the midst of the assault, Captain Kirk's body is taken away by the attackers.  Reanimated by Borg technology, Captain Kirk is used as a brain-washed assassin by a fringe group of Romulans who have allied themselves with the Borg.

Confused about his origins, and under the control of a Romulan fanatic obsessed with seeing Kirk punished for what she perceives as a crime against her family generations prior, Kirk sets out with only one purpose: Kill Jean-Luc Picard.

Meanwhile, Picard and Dr. Crusher are on a covert-ops mission to infiltrate and hopefully defeat the Borg.  As they get closer to their goal, Picard unknowingly comes closer to being a victim of the Romulan-Borg alliance.  His only hope is for Kirk to be woken up from his single-minded mission before it is too late.

My Thoughts:

The Return was a story conceived of by William Shatner as a response to the death of Captain Kirk in Star Trek: Generations.  As such, it fulfills a wish of many Star Trek fans: the resurrection of James T. Kirk.  But more than that, it feels to me like what Generations could have been, or more likely, what many fans were expecting when we first learned that the first TNG movie would feature a crossover of sorts between the original Star Trek and The Next Generation.  Many scenes that one would expect when Captain Kirk and Captain Picard come together are realized in this book.  One take on the Picard-Kirk interaction is that it should be a competition or fight between the two captains.  After all, isn't that what fans indulged in for years?  Ever since The Next Generation premiered in 1987, Star Trek magazines, fanzines, websites and message boards have been inundated with the same quandary:  who is the better captain, Kirk or Picard?  The Return pits the two heroes against each other, certainly.  Although, in my mind, the battle between them doesn't completely satisfy as it pits Picard against a crazed, nanite-infused, brain-washed Kirk.  Not exactly the battle royale people would have wanted.

Another scenario that Trek fans wanted to see was Kirk and Picard working together to combat some foe, preferably both on the bridge of the Enterprise.  The Return does give us that, and it is much more satisfying than the situation presented by Generations: "Hey, I need some extra help punching the bad guy on this planet you've never heard of.  I could just get some day labour from the local hardware store parking lot, but I'd rather have Captain Kirk.  Wanna come?"  Admittedly, I stole this image from RedLetterMedia's excellent review of Generations, part one of which can be seen here.

In many ways, The Return is a much better send-off than Generations ever was.  Rather than dying for some planet we don't really care about by falling off a mountain, Kirk instead has a hand in much bigger stakes: the defeat of the Borg Collective.  The final showdown on the Borg homeworld supposedly sees the end of Kirk.  In the massive conflagration that follows, Picard says, "Perhaps this is a more fitting memorial than a simple cairn of stones."  Well put, and very apt.  The death of Kirk should have been a bigger deal than it was made out to be in Generations.  The Return gives Kirk a much better ending.  However, as we all know, this isn't actually the end of Kirk (at least, not in the William Shatner novels that follow this one!).

In some respects, however, reading The Return felt a lot like watching Star Trek V: The Final Frontier.  Many parts of the book feel like a massive stroking of William Shatner's ego.  Whenever Kirk is mentioned by the 24th century characters, his exploits and feats of derring-do are talked about in reverential and worshiping tones.  He is able to defeat Worf in a bat'leth fight handily, seemingly without breaking a sweat.  Riker, while being pursued by Kirk, describes Kirk's phantom-like supernatural ability to easily get the drop on him.  Finally, at the end of the novel, even Kirk's enemies play up his amazing god-like abilities. Just like the Klingons in Star Trek V, the Romulans in The Return are so awed and amazed by Kirk's abilities, they can't help but mention just how awesome he is at every turn.  "Kirk must be on that ship!"  "Why do you think that?"  "How else can they so easily defeat us?"  Seriously?  Also, over the years since "The Best of Both Worlds," Starfleet has been contending with the Borg and barely escaping destruction at every turn.  Well, no more!  Enter Kirk!  Silly 24th century, can't even deal with a galactic menace.  Guess Kirk will clean that up for them, too!

There is certainly a lot to love about The Return.  The eventual reunions between Kirk, Spock, and an extremely advanced-aged McCoy are quite touching.  The reverence for the Star Trek mythos that the writers exhibit definitely shines through.  I particularly enjoyed McCoy's relating to Kirk the fates of the other characters from the original Star Trek series.  Uhura's eventual career especially had me smiling.  McCoy tells Kirk that Uhura eventually went on to be a recruiter for Starfleet Academy, helping to create the next generation of space explorers.  This was an obvious and thoughtful nod to the exploits of Uhura actress Nichelle Nichols, who did a lot of work recruiting for NASA in the years following her work on Star Trek.

Positives:  The characterizations of Spock and McCoy are spot on, and some other characters like Riker and Crusher were also well-written.  The alliance between the Romulans and the Borg was handled well in my opinion.  I remember that when I first read this novel many years ago, I thought that particular plot device to be contrived and unrealistic, but in retrospect, the writers presented it well.  In fact, it presaged the brief alliance between Captain Janeway and the USS Voyager in "Scorpion."

Negatives:  There are some small niggling things to mention, and I almost thought better of it, but I am a Trekkie after all.  I can be a little obsessive over minor details if I want!  The Starfleet phasers in The Return are often referred to as having a blue beam.  But, as us Trekkies know, the phasers of the TNG era are yellow/orange in colour!  Basic details, guys.  Pull it together!  Another small issue that bothered me was the seeming impotence of the Borg.  Why on earth would they be trying so hard to kill Jean-Luc Picard on the one hand, and be completely okay with Locutus wandering around among their ranks on the other?  Shouldn't the various parts of the collective be a little better at communicating things than that?

Final Thoughts:

For the most part, The Return is a wild, enjoyable ride, with a few bothersome details.  The Kirk-fawning gets a little old, but then again, the entire Star Trek franchise is occasionally guilty of that one.

I'm a little torn about what numerical grade to give The Return.  I feel that my thoughts above tend to do a much better job of summarizing my feelings about the book than any arbitrary number I can assign.  Therefore, I will refrain from providing a mark out of ten, and instead say that The Return does a good job of rectifying some mistakes that Generations made, but goes a little overboard in the Kirk-worship.  I recommend that any Star Trek fan should give it a read, but won't blame them if they find it a little too "fanwank-ish."

Also by William Shatner (with Judith & Garfield Reeves-Stevens):

 My next read:

The Never-Ending Sacrifice, a Deep Space Nine novel by Una McCormack, is next on my reading list.  Look for that review, coming soon!

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